Timing mechanism



Nov. 12, 1968 A. L. KORR 3,410,083

TIMING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 4, 1966 wv onion ABRAHAM L. KORR United States Patent i Y ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A timing escapement mechanism is provided with a pivoted escapement lever in the form of a long flat bar magnet mounted to oscillate between two other spaced parallel bar magnets with magnetic repulsion action. To the lever is attached a U-shaped magnetic element or pallet having two poles extending at a right angle to one side and centrally of the lever to oscillate therewith. An escapement wheel is provided in the form of a springdriven rotary disc carrying a plurality of radial bar magnets 'on one face and equally spaced at the periphery in alternate North and South relation to move past the pallet as the disc rotates and effect a step-by-step motion thereof.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to mechanical timers or clocks of the type used to provide control functions according to elapsed time. Such timers include a timer source of energy which is generally a wound mainspring, an actual time-measuring assembly which is generally a timing escapement mechanism, and a connecting reduction gear train between the energy source and the said escapement mechanism.

The present invention relates more particularly to timing escapement assemblies or mechanisms for mechanical timers and clocks of the type referred to, and has for its primary object to provide an improved timing escapement mechanism having pallet and pallet wheel elements which operate without the usual frictional contact between them.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved timing escapement mechanism for mechanical timers or clocks which is adapted to operate in conjunction with an improved lever arm assembly and eliminates the usual escapement lever and operating springs therefor.

It is also a further object of this invention to provide an improved timing escapement mechanism which is wholly magnetic and provides for complete timing control of improved magnetic pallet wheel means in conjunction with improved escapement means of the magnetic type associated therewith.

In a prior copending patent application of the present inventor, Ser. No. 429,931, filed Feb. 2 1965, now Patent No. 3,292,430 there is shown and described an escapement assembly which eliminates the escapement lever spring by the use of a system of like poled magnets which cause a magnetized escapement lever arm to oscillate between them without contact. An improved lever arm assembly of this type is utilized in connection with the timing mechanism of the present invention and provides for further eliminating mechanical contact in the escapement mechanism.

In accordance with one form of the invention, a similar mechanism is provided with an oscillatory pivoted escapement lever with connected magnetic pallet means and wheel elements to control its rotational movement. The escapement lever for the mechanism is magnetically polarized with opposite magnetic poles at the outer free ends thereof. The lever is mounted to oscillate about a fixed pivot axis normal to the plane thereof together with means providing spaced magnetic poles in said plane in spaced relation to the outer polar ends of said lever and of like polarity therewith. Thus a repulsion action is obtained as the lever arm oscillates and is repelled back and forth by the action of like magnetic poles.

To the lever arm and in the same or a parallel plane therewith, is attached or added a second magnetic element or pallet having two poles in relatively-close spaced relation to each other and extending at a right angle to the axis of the lever arm equally distant from the pivot axis of said lever arm to oscillate therewith in parallel relation. In the present example a horseshoe type magnet is provided and may be separate or integral with the lever arm.

The escapement wheel is in the form of a disc carrying a plurality of bar magnets mounted on one surface thereof in radial relation to the center of the disc and equally spaced at the disc periphery in an alternate North and South relation. The disc rotates on a fixed shaft in the plane of the added magnetic poles which are properly spaced to operate in synchronism with the rotation of the disc and the magnetic bar movement to coordinate the attraction and repulsion thereof. The disc is driven by a fixed source of energy such as a motor or a spring or other source of stored energy. Means for deriving the timing control from the disc through suitable mechanical connection is provided generally by a gear train connected therewith.

The rotating power disc will thus have a synchronous pulsing motion as it slows down and speeds up alternately as the North and South poles of the added or pallet magnet rocks back and forth and while the disc with its radially mounted magnets is driven past by means of the relatively constant torque source in one direction.

The invention will further be understood from the following description when considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, and its scope is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, the single figure is a schematic diagram of a timing escapement mechanism embodying the invention, and referring thereto, the main elements comprise a pivoted escapement lever 5 having an operating pivot '6 midway of its length and normal to its plane of oscillation, and a rotary escapement wheel 9 in the form of a flat disc mounted to rotate in said plane on a central shaft 7 and to which is connected a driving motor or energy source 8 for rotating the wheel constantly in one direction as indicated by the arrow.

In accordance with the prior copending application referred to, the escapement lever 5 is without the usual oscillatory masses or weights, and is likewise without an escapement spring or hair spring for controlling its oscillation. Instead, the lever is made in the form of an elongated straight permanent bar magnet having a North pole 10 at one end and a South pole 11 at the other end on opposite sides of the pivot axis 6. The ends of the escapement lever oscillate back and forth between two fixed spaced elongated bar magnets 14 and 15 presenting poles 10A-10B and 11A-11B of like polarity at each end, thereby to provide effectively magnetic repulsion as the poles are approached by the lever as it oscillates between the extremes of its travel as indicated.

The controlling magnets 14 and 15 are adjustably spaced to provide a predetermined air gap or spacing (xy) in which the ends of the lever arm oscillate. The two magnets are laterally oriented in parallel relation there between as indicated by the polar spacing x and y from a midway line passing through the axis 6. The timing frequency or space is controlled by the above means.

Once the lever arm is started in oscillation by being released from the position shown in the drawing for example, it oscillates continuously under the repulsion action, aided by the rotation action of the pallet (118C 6 and the magnetic elements carried thereby as will be seen. As the lever arm moves close to the fixed poles of like polarity the repulsion action is rapidly increased so that the lever is repelled actively and moves in reverse to start a new cycle movement. The magnetic forces obey the inverse square law and therefore are more effective as the two like magnet poles come closest together.

To the effective oscillatory magnetic lever system or mechanism as above described, there is added in accordance with the invention, the escapement wheel element and pallet-type control means therefor carried by the pivot lever 5. This comprises the driving disc 9 on one planar surface of which are mounted a number of fixed bar magnets 17, of which three, for further reference, are indicated at 17A, 17B, and 17C. The bar magnets are radially oriented on the disc and are uniformly spaced angularly with the polar ends at the periphery of the disc in alternate north and south relation as indicated.

Mounted on or integral with the bar magnet is a second two-pole magnet 18 mounted to pivot uniformly on the axis of pivot pin 6 in common with the bar magnet 5, and being uniformly disposed with respect thereto in alignment with and in the plane of the rotating bar magnets 17 on the escapement wheel 6. The magnet 18 comprises two parallel legs 19 and 20 terminating in poles 21 and 22 as North and South poles respectively in the present example. The legs 19 and 20 are spaced apart on opposite sides of the pivot axis 6 a sufiicient distance to synchronize in operation with the movement of the bar magnets 17 to provide a step-by-step rotation of the disc. The magnet 18 is thus a pallet element to control the disc or pallet wheel. The poles 21 and 22 are equally spaced radially from the axis 6 and terminate relatively closely spaced with respect to the ends fo the moving bar magnets 17 for a greater control action.

Furthermore, the magnet 18 may be integral with the bar magnet or levers or independent thereof as may be desired as for example in horseshoe shape. In the present example it is integral with the bar magnet 5 and the pole 21 adjacent to the pole and is of like polarity therewith and likewise the poles 11 and 22 are of like South polarity, thereby adapting the entire magnetic structure to be polarized in the same direction as a unit.

As will be seen from the aternative extreme position of the bar magnet 5 as indicated in dotted outline at 5A, the poles 21 and 22 of the magnet 18 oscillate back and forth with respect to the moving escapement disc or pallet wheel 9 and the bar magnets 17 carried thereby. The operation is such that the North and South poles swing in the manner shown and results from the lever arm 5 being repelled back and forth by the action of the like magnetic poles 10A-10B and 11A-11B. In the example shown, the South pole of the magnet 18, which may be called the controlling magnet, is positioned to attract the approaching North pole of the bar magnet 17B which is the nearest radially disposed magnet on the disc 6, and the magnetic attraction of these two poles is of such magnitude that it first accelerates and then slows down the disc as they come into alignment, but the force is not of sufficient magnitude to stop the rotary movement by overpowering the driving torque applied to the lever arm by the repulsion force resulting from the like pole polarity reaction at 11 and 11B and at 10 and 10A. This is because at the point of closest alignment ,with the magnetic loaded disc, the lever of the escapement arm is closest to the poles which will repulse. It will then start to rebound and the South pole of the magnet 18 will move away from' its alignment with the North pole of the bar magnet 17. The bar magnet 17B and 17C then move to the positions presently occupied by the bar magnets 17A and 17B respectively. This brings the South pole of the bar'magnet 17C into position to be attracted by the approaching North pole 21 as the bar 5 oscillates in the opposite direction 4 toward the dotted position 5A. The South pole of bar magnet 17C then approaches the North pole 21 of the magnet 18 and passes the same as before as repulsion action of the bar magnet 5 moves from the dotted position 5A toward the full-line position 5 in the drawing.

Thus the disc or escapement magnet and escapement wheel 9 will have a synchronous pulsing motion as it slows down and speeds up alternately as the North and South poles of the control magnet 18 rock back and forth while the disc wtih its radially mounted magnets 17 is driven past by means of the relatively constant torque source in one direction.

Controlled drive for any external indicator device may be taken from the rotating disc by connection with the shaft 7 or with any other suitable movable element associated therewith. In the present example a gear train is provided for delivering controlled movement to an output or indicator drive shaft 24 through a gear train comprising a pehipheral ring gear 25 on the lower side of the disc 9 which meshes with a driven intermediate gear 26 which, in turn, meshes with a driven 27 on the shaft 24 in the present example.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that an improved escapement mechanism is provided, having an escapement lever which is effectively a bar magnet of the permanent magnet type with the two poles at opposite ends thereof, and associated with magnetic means mounted in such a manner that the poles are in opposed spaced relation to each other at the outer polar ends of the lever and at opposite sides thereof, in a common plane with the lever, to provide a magnetic field or gap in which each polar end of the lever oscillates to closely approach like spaced magnetic poles with an increasing repulsion action.

In combination with the oscillating bar magnet is a second magnet having two poles in relatively close spaced relation to each other and of equal radial distance from the pivot axis of the bar magnet, to operate in synchronism with a magnetic escapement wheel or disc having a plurality of magnet elements of the bar type radially disposed thereon in equal angular spaced relation to each other along the periphery of the disc and in alternate North and South polar relation to each other, together with driving means for the disc and means for deriving from the disc a controlled movement for time control of any suitable device.

I claim:

1. A timing escapement mechanism comprising in combination, a rotary driving disc, a plurality of permanent bar magnets radially mounted on one face of said disc in uniformly-spaced relation and oriented to provide alternate North and South poles at the periphery, an elongated flat bar magnet providing an escapement lever arm for said mechanism, a magnetic pallet element comprising a U-shaped permanent magnet having two parallel legs terminating in North and South poles, said last-named magnet being mounted on the lever arm with said legs extending laterally therefrom to oscillate therewith in a limited range in the plane of said disc on a common central fixed pivot axis, means for applying magnetic repulsion to said lever arm on each side thereof to effect said oscillatory movement thereof and of the permanent-magnet pallet element, means for mounting said rotary disc in fixed relation to said oscillatory permanent-magnet pallet element to provide alternate repulsion and attraction therefrom in response to rotary movement of said disc and of said bar magnets, thereby to provide a magnetic escapement for timing the operation and movement of said disc, and means for deriving from said disc a control timing movement.

2. A timing mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for applying magnetic repulsion to the lever arm to effect said oscillatory movement includes two bar magnets on opposite sides of said lever arm and pivot axis extending in adjustable substantially parallel relation with said lever arm midway of its oscillatory movement and poled in like polarity relation therewith for setting the timing speed, and wherein the permanent magnet pallet element is integral with said lever arm and extends therefrom in a plane normal to said pivot axis with said parallel legs equally spaced therefrom as a unitary magnetic element.

3. A timing escapement mechanism comprising in combination, an escapement lever comprising a single elongated flat bar magnet having end magnetic poles, adjustable magnetic means for effecting timed oscillator movement thereof about a fixed pivot axis located substantially midway of its length, a U-shaped permanent magnet providing a pallet element mounted to oscillate with said lever on said pivot axis with the polar ends thereof equal- 1y spaced from said axis and extending laterally from said lever at a right angle therewith, a rotary escapement wheel comprising a circular mounting disc having a planar surface normal to the axis thereof, a plurality of bar magnets radially disposed on said surface with the poles thereof arranged in alternately North and South relation at the periphery of said disc, said bar magnets and said oscillatory magnet being movable in the same plane and in substantially close spaced relation to each other at the periphery of the disc for step-by-step timing control of the disc movement, means for driving said disc with a constant force in one direction, and means for de riving a controlled operating movement therefrom for timing control of an external instrumentality.

4. A timing escapement mechanism comprising in combination, a rotary power-driven disc having one direction of rotation, a plurality of permanent bar magnets mounted on one side thereof in equally-spaced radiallyoriented relation to provide alternate North and South poles at the disc periphery and effectively a magnetic pallet wheel for said mechanism, a U-shaped permanentmagnet pallet element for said mechanism having two parallel legs terminating in North and South poles, said magnet being mounted to oscillate in a limited range in the plane of said disc on,a centrally located fixed pivot axis to bring the poles thereof alternately into close spaced relation with the periphery of said disc and the magnetic field of said bar magnets for alternate periphery of said disc and the magnetic field of said bar magnets for alternate attraction and repulsion action thereof in synchronism with movement of the bar magnets and step-by-step timed rotation of said disc, an elongated bar-magnet lever pivoted to move with and in the plane of said pallet element about said axis, means for applying adjustable magnetic repulsion to said lever on opposite sides to effect said oscillatory movement thereof and of the pallet magnet at a desired operating frequency, thereby to provide a magnetic escapement for timing the operation and movement of said disc as the pallet element, and means for deriving from said disc a controlled timing movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,517,008 11/1924 Jones 74l.5 2,061,047 11/ 1936 Schweitzer 741.5 3,132,522 5/1964 Goldfarb 74-1.5 3,162,798 12/1964 Haydon 74-l.5 3,168,833 2/1965 Popovitch 74-].5 3,183,426 5/1965 Haydon 58-116 XR 3,292,438 12/ 1966 Korr 741.5

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. STANLEY A. WAL, Assistant Examiner. 

